Wrapper and sealer for bread, cartons, boxes, and the like



F. STREICH WRAPPER AND SEALER FOR BREAD CARTONS, BOXES, AND THE LIKE F i'led Oct. 1, 1921 .5 Sheets-PSheet l l l l mm W, 19236 F. STREflCH WRAPPER AND SEALER FOR BREAD EARTONS, BOXES AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 1, 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Zia/@250 l razz% jZrez/lcfi; 4 A

@ct 3Q, 1192. v nmzws F. STREICH I WRAPPER AND SEALER FOR BREAD CARTONS BOXES, AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 1. 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 9 ,lmigmi WIZZO/V @ch 3@ R923,

. F. STREHCH WRAPPER AND SEALER FOR BREAD CARTONS, BOXES, AND THE LIKE A t 6 e. h 5

Filed Oct. 1. 1921 @cfi. 30 1923.

F. sTRElcH WRAPPER AND SEALER FOR BREAD CARTONS, BOXES AND THE LIKE Filed Oct.

1, 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 WM \lk M om QM Sm n. @N O A N Patented @ct. 36D, 1923.

UNHTEEDD snares I tanner earner crates.

FRANK STRETCH, 01F JQLIET, KELLKNOIS, ASSIGNOR '10 UNION MACHINERY CQEKPANY; F JGLIE'T, IILJLXNQIS, A CORPURATICON 01? ILLINUIS.

WRAPPER SEALER IEOR BREAD, CAETONS, BOXES, AND THE LEE.

Application filed @ctober 1, 1.921. Serial lilo. Eitllfilfi.

To all whom it may concern." v Be it known that 1, FRANK S'rnmcn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Joliet, Will County, and State of llllinois, have invented certain new and useful 1mprovements in Wrappers and Sealers for head, Cartons, Boxes, and the like, of which the following is declared to he a full, clear, and exact description. This invention relates to wrappers and sealers for bread, cartons, boxes and the like, and its principal objects are ,to provide an apparatus which is automatic in most of its operations; which is simple in construction, easy to operate, and is adjustableto accommodate long and short and high and low loaves of bread, or boxes, cartons and the like, within certain given limits. Another object is to provide a wrappin machine wherein hand levers or foot treadles are dispensed with, whereby the attendant may employ both hands, it necessary in handling the article to be wrapped. Another object is to increase the capacity of devices-of this character, whereby a greater numbers of articles may be wrapped within a given time. Another object is to provide a wrapper which may be operated by unskilled persons, and which contains comparatively few moving arts, and is not likely to get out of order. he invention has been desied for use in wrapping and sealing articles with paraffin orwax paper, wherein the para-11in or wax paper is heated after the folds are made to soften the paratlin or wax, after which the latter is permitted to cool, while the flaps are held tightly together, whereby the folded flaps are caused to adhere to each other to make a comparatively tight'closure. The invention consists in the several novel features hereinafter described and claimed. The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which: 7

Fig. 1 is a plan of a we per and sealer embodying a simple form 0 the present invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the flap folding elements ofthe device; Fig. 3 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical, longitudinal section, showin the front flap folder in a different position rom that seen in Fi 2, the line of section for Fig. 3 being indicated at 33 in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a front view of one of the front flap folders; Fig. 5 is a view partly in front elevation and partly in vertical crom-section,

taken onlineb-b of Fig. 2; Fig. ti is a vertical cross-section taken on line 6-6 ofi Fig. 1; Fig. 7 is a view partly in front elevation and partly. in vertical cross-section, illustratin one of the rear flap folder supports, the line of section being taken at Z? in Fig. 1; Figs. 8, 9, 19 and 11 are end views of an article and its wrapper, illustrating the various stages occurring in closing the end of the wrapper; Fig. 12 is a side elevation of a modified form of front flap folder and Fig. 13 is a front view thereof.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 11 of mid drawings, which illustrate a simple embodiment of the invention, the reference characters 15, 15 designate two parallel, flat table members, that run lengthwise of the machine and form a table upon which the articles are wrapped, and along which they travel from the wrapping elements to the heatin and cooling elements. Preferably, said ta le members 15, 15 are supported on two crosswise extending bars 16 located under the table members and bolted or otherwise secured to two leg or frame members 17 that extend lengthwise of the table and are fastened to lengthwise extending strips 18. The table member 15 is fixedly secured to the bars 16, as by bolts or nuts, but the l table member 15 rests loosely on said bars 85 16 and is adjustable toward or away from the table member 15, to accommodate articles of various le 1' he The means for of? footing the adjuent comprises rack teeth 19 on the bars 16, and spur gears 20, which mesh therewith and are fastened to a shaft or rod 21 journaled in bearing bets 22 .secured to the outer edges of the table. member 15. A. hand wheel 23 at one end or the shaft or rod 21 affords means whereby the shaft or rod may be rotated to adjust the table member 15. Bolts 24 (see Fig. 6) ex tending down from the table member 15 and through slots 25 in the bars 16, and wing nuts 26 on the bolts, provide means for securing the table member 15 in any posi tion of adjustment relative to the stationary table member 15. l

The present invention has been designed to fold the ends of the wrapper, which has previously been wrapped around the four sides of an articles, and both ends of said wrapper are folded back by four separate folds, the front fla s or parts nearest the operator being first olded back against 110 the ends of the article, after which the rear flaps are folded back upon the front flaps.

The bottom end flaps are then folded up and upon the front and rear flaps and finallythe top flaps are folded down upon the others. In this condition, the bottom and ends of the wrapper are subjected to heat to soften the paraffin and afterwards removed from the source of heat and permitted to cool while being held in place. It is understood that the Wrapper extends beyond the ends of the article therein, and the front, back, bottom and end portions of said projecting ends of the wrapper, i shall term the front flap, frear flap, bottom flap and top flap, respectively.

At the front end of the-table and mounted thereon are the front flap folders, designated, generally, by the reference character A. Secured to the table beyond said folders A are the rear flap folders B, beyond which are the bottom flap folders G, and following them are. the top flap folders D. Upright flap heating plates E and a bottom flap heating plate E are arranged beyond the top flap folder and these heating plates are usually electrically heated. Beyond the heating plates are cooling rolls F and therebeyond, cooling plates Gr. These several quire no further description so specificat on is concerned.

The front flap folders. The front flap folders A comprise two front flap folding fingers 27 and. a depressible finger actuating platform 28 upon "which the article to bewrap'ped is placed in making the first or front flap fold. Each flap folding finger 27 has an arcuate portion 29, which engages with the front flap, m, of of thevfirapper, A and in one embodiment of the invention, said finger has an arm 30 which is fulcrumed on a pin or shaft 31,

which extends into an elongated slot 32 :formed in the arm 30 and extending in a direction approxlmatcly lengthwise thereof.

Each finger 27 stands in a vertical position, parallel with a line running lengthwise of .'the table, and extends through a vertical slot 33 (see. Fig. 4) in a supporting bracket 34, which is secured tothe front end of the table by screws onftli'e like. The arcuate, portion of the flap folding finger 27 is arranged to'p'ass across an end of the article to be wrapped from front to back in folding back the front flap, and the operative conaerjaoee nections between the platform and finger for movin it across said end will now be describ I The platform 28 is secured upon the upper 'ends of two yoke or U-shaped platforms supporting members 35 (see Figs. 1 and 5),- each of which is held in an upright position by a pair of levers 36, 37, arranged one abovethe other and fulcrumed upon .the bracket 34 by the pins or shafts 31, 38 which are secured in cars or lugs 39, 40, on said bracket 34- by boits 4:1. The arms 36, 37, of the levers '36, 37, are pivotally connected to the platform supporting member 35 by bolts 42, 42*. This provides a parallel movement mechanism whereby the platform may be depressed and thereby lowered from the position seen in Fig. 2 to. that seen in. Fig. 3, while constantly held in a horizontal plane.

The front flap folding finger is p-ivotm to oneupri ht leg 35 of the platform supporting mem or, by a bolt .43 which is referably. arranged in axial alignment with the bolt t2 which connects th lever 37 with said platform supportingmember. In order to obtain long bearings for the levers 36, 37., they are formed with stirrup like arms 36,

'37, (see Fig. 4) through which the pins or shafts 31, 38, extend. A coiled tension spring 44 secured to a lug 45 on the lever 36 and to a lug 46 on the table counterbalances the platform and acts to return the parts to normal position after the platform has been depressed and. released.

It will be understoodthat whenever the platform 28 is depressed, the front. flap folding finger 27 will be thereby drawn down and forward by the platform supporting member 35, and because of the pin and slot connections 31, 32, said front flap folding finger 27 will be moved forward on the bolt 43 as a fulcrum from the position seen in Fig. 2 to that seen in Fig. 3. It will be observe that the arcuate finger 29 moves over and across the platform 28 on an arc of a circle, struck from. the axis of the bolt 42. and that said movement across the end .of the article to be wrapped is at rightangles to the line of fold of the front 'flap and directly across the end of the article from front to back. The result is that the front flap of the wra per' is folded back and against the end 0 he article to be wrapped, as is illustrated in Fig. 8.

The platform 28 connects the two platform supporting members 35, whereby the two front flap folding fingers may be actuated simultaneously. The platform may comprise two relatively thin platform memr here 28, 28", one lying on the other, and having a connected sliding engagement with each other whereby when the table members 15. 15 are adjusted relative toieach other. the platform members 28%, 28", may adjust themselves accordingly. Conveniently, the

neraoee sliding connection between the two members 28*, 28", is made by forming elongated slots 28 in said members, and by providing head pins 28 in the members which run in the slots.

The rear flap folders.

per. The rear flap folding plates or strips are made somewhat narrower than the article to -be wrapped, in order that they may pass between the top and bottom non-folded 'flaps, d, 0. Each rear flap folding strip is secured to and carried by an arm l8, which extends crosswise of the machine, in a hori zontal direction and is formed at its outer end with an enlargement or head 49, in which is a bearing aperture 50 (see Fig. 1), preferably triangular in formatiom-through which extends a post or standard 51. The post is made triangular in cross-section, so

as to conform to the triangular bearing aperture in the head of the arm 48, and a set screw 52 is threaded in said head and bears against one side of the post, thereby holding its other two sides in frictional contact with two sides of the. bearing aperture. By partly unscrewing the set screw 52, the arm and therewith the rear ilap folding strip may be raised or lowered to accomodate high or low articles to be wrapped. The post is formed with flanges 53 that engage the edge and botom of the table and it may be held in place on the table by bolts and wing nuts 54, as shown. The rear flap folding strips engage and bend the rear flaps, 5, back on the folded front flaps, a, as the article is moved past them, and said flaps, a, 5, are thereby held in folded position to and until the bottom flap folders have commenced their folding action.

The bottom flap folders.

The bottom flap folders C may comprise upright fiat portions 55, whichextend lengthwise of the table members 15, 15, close to and at the outer sides of thevrear flap folding strips 46. Said bottom flap folders are secured to the table members 15, 15 by bolts or screws 56, that extend through transverse slots in flanges 57 that ale formed on the lower edges of the bottom flap folders 55. The slots permit of adjustment of the bottom flap folders laterally or transversely of the table.

The upper edge of each bottom flap folder is in the "form if a reverse curve, starting at the forward end of the bottom, and ending near the rear end of the top (see Fig.

Said edge engages the bottom flap c and folds it upward against the other folded flaps, a, b, as the article'is pushed between the bottom flap folders, and it holds the folded flaps in folded condition until the top flap folder has commenced its action.

The top-flap folder. The top flap folders, D, comprise upright, flat, flap folding plates 58, which extend parallel with the table members.

The lower edges 59 of the plates 58 are in-' clined downwardly from front to back and their rear end portions 59 are curveddown more abruptly than the forward portions. Each flap folding plate 58 is secured to a crosswise extending strut 60 by screws or the like, and said strut is adjustably supported on a post or standard 61 which is secured to and extends up from a table member. @onveniently, the strut may be guided between two vertically extending ribs 62 of the post 61 and clamp screws 63 are provided, which bear @ainst the outer face of the post and have threaded stems that extend through a vertical slot ti l in the standard and are tlireadedly secured in the strut 60. The flap folding plates 58 may be adjusted in a vertical direction to accommodate high or low articles, by partially unscrewing the clamp screws 63. V The lower inclined edges of the flap folding plates 58 engage the top'tlaps, cl, when the article is pushed under them and fold said top flaps down on the others and hold all of the flaps in folded position until the wrapped article is pushed baclr between and over the heating plates l d, E

34, which act as guides for the article. The

loaf or other article is carefully positioned on the platform, so as to come between the front end of the front flap folding fingers, and it is then pressed in downward and forward direction awa from the attendant, thereby depressing t e platform 28 and therewith the parallel movement levers 36, 37, until the platform strikes the table, after which the attendant pushes the article past the rear, bottom and top flap folders, and leaves it standin between and over "the heating plates E, fit. The downward movement of the platform is translated-into a movement'of the front flap folding fingers across the ends of the article, in planes ap proximately at right angles to the folding end portions prolines of'the front flaps, through the instrumentality of the brackets 35, to which the fingers 27 are pivotally connected, and the pin and slot connections 31, 32, between the brackets 34 and fingers 27. When the article is slid from the platform, the springs counterbalance the weight of the platform and return it to its upper position and ther by returning the fingers to inactive position.

In the modified form illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13, the depressible platform '28 is supported by yoke like supports 35, and its movement is controlled by the parallel movement le-Ve-rs 36 connected to the sup ports 35, as in the preferred form, and a counterbalancing spring 44 attached to one of the levers may be used for returning I the parts to inactive position. The front flap folders 27 are movable across the ends of the article to be wrapped in planes at right angles to the folding line of the front flaps, and the mechanism for translating the up and down movements of the platform into said movements of the front flap folding fingers across the ends of the article to be wrapped, comprises a toothed rack 30, supported by the bracket 34, a pinion 30 rotatively mounted on the support 35;a second pinion 30 fixedly connected to the pinion 30 and a toothed rack 30 secured to the finger 27 and meshing with the pinion 30. The toothed rack 30 is slidaloly guided in a groovedguide member *30 secured to the lower side of the platform.

In operation, when the platform is depressed, the pinion 30 is carried down in mesh with the rack 30 and is thereby rotated; consequently the pinion 30 is rotated and the rac 30 and therewith the finger 27 is moved forward. The latter passes across the end ofthe article supported by the platform in. a plane at right angles to the folding line of the frontfiap.

The springs are preferably of sufiicient tension to hold the platform in its upper position, so that when a loaf of bread, or other article is placed on the platform, very little effort is required to depress it.

Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11 illustrate the several folds made by the flap folders. Fig. 8 showsa fragment of the first flap folding finger in dotted lines across the folded front flap; Fig. 9 shows the rear flap folded down under the rear flap folder; Fig. 10 shows the bottom flap folded up against the other folded ones, and Fig. 11 shows the top flap folded down over the others. The several flap folders are illustrated in dotted lines in these four figures to show their action on the flaps.

More or less variation of the exact details of construction is possiblewithout departing from the spirit of this invention; I desire, therefore, not to limit myself to the exact form of the construction shown a r-races and described,but intend, in the following claims, to point out all of the invention disclosed herein.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a device for wrapping articles, the combination of a counterbalanced, depressible platform for receiving the article, a flap folding finger movable-with said platform, and finger actuating members operated by said latform.

2. In a device for wrapping articles, the combination of a counterbalanced, depressible platform for receiving the article, and movable from. an upper toa lower position, a flap folding finger, movable transversely across an end of said article in a plane approximately at right angles to the line upon which the flap is folded, and operative connections between said platform and finger, for translating the downward movement of said platform into said transverse move-- ment of said finger.

3. In a device for wrapping articles, the combination of a counterbalanced, depressible platform for receiving the article, a flap folding finger movable with said platform, and across the end of said article, and operative connections between said platform and finger, for translating downward movement of saidplatform into movement of the finger across the end of said article.

4. In a device for wrapping articles, the combination of a counterbalanced, depressible platform for receiving the article, a reciprocating flap folding finger, movable in its own plane across the end of the article,

and finger reciprocating means operatively connecting said platform with said finger.

5. In a device for wrapping articles, the combination of acounterbalanced, depressible platform for receiving the article. a reciprocating flap folding finger, movable in its own plane across the end of the article, means for guiding said fingerto move in a plane approximately at right, angles to the line upon which the flap is folded, and finger reciprocating means operatively ,connecting said platform with. said finger.

6. In a device for wrapping articles, the combination of a counterbalanced, depress ible platform for receiving the article, an oscillatory flap folding finger, movable in its own plane across the end of the article, and finger oscillating means operatively conmeeting said platform with said finger.

7. In a device for wrapping articles, the combination of a counterbalanced, oscillatory platform upon which the article is received, parallel movement members con nected to said platform and arranged to maintain it in horizontal position. a flap folding finger movable with said platform, and finger actuating members operated by said platform.

"tory fiap folding finger,

a'mpec 8. In a device for wrapping articles, the combination of a counterbalanced, oscillatory platform upon which the article is received, parallel movement members connected to said platform and arranged to maintain it in horizontal position, a flap foldin finger, movable transversely across 9. In a devfce for wrapping articles, the

cdmbination of a counterbalanced, oscillatory platform upon which the article is received, parallel movement members connected to said platform and arranged to maintain it in horizontal position, a flap fo'ding finger movable with said platform, and across the end of said article, and operative connections between said platform and.

finger for translating downward movement of said platforminto movement of the finger across the end of said article.

10. Ina device for wrapping articles, the combination of -a counterbalanced, oscillatory platform upon which the article is received, parallel movement members connected to said platform and arranged to maintain it in horizontal position, areciprocating flap folding finger, movable in its own plane across the end of thearticle, and finger reciprocating means operatively connecting said platform with said finger.

11. In a device for wrapping articles, the combination of a counterbalanced oscillatory platform upon which the article is received, parallel movement members connected to said platform and arranged to maintain it in horizontal position, a reciprocating flap folding finger, movable in its own plane across the end of the article, means for guiding said finger to move in a plane approximately at right angles to the line upon which the flap is folded, and finger reciprocating means operatively connecting said platform with said finger.

12. In a device for wrapping articles, the combination of a counterbalanced, oscillatory platform upon which the article is received, parallel movement members connected to: said platform and arranged to maintain it in horizontal position, an oscillamovable in its own plane across the end of the article, and finger oscillating means operatively con necting said platform with said finger.

13. In a device for wrapping articles, the combination of a counterbalanced, depressible platform, a pair of parallel movement members connected to said platform, and movable in a vertical direction, an oscillatory flap folding finger connected therewith to move in its =own plane with said platfoirm, across an end of the article thereon.

14. In a device for wrapping articles, the combination of a depressible platform upon which the article is received, a pair of oppositely disposed flap folding fingers movable with said platform, and finger actuating mechanism operated by said platform, one finger and its actuating mechanism being adjustable toward and away from the other finger and its actuating mechanism.

15. In a device for Wrapping articles, the combination of a pair of adjustably connected table members, a depressible platform upon which the article is received, a .pair of oppositely disposed flap fioldi'ng fingers movable with said platform, and finger actuating members carried by said table'members, operated by said platform, one finger and its actuating member being adjustable toward and away from the other finger and its actuating member.

16. In a device for wrapping articles, a depressible, extensible platform upon which the article is received, a pair of oppositely disposed, oscillatory fiap folding fingers, and parallel movement finger actuating members, operated by said platform, one finger and its actuating members being adjustable toward the other finger and its actuating members.

17. In a device for wrapping articles, a depressible platform upon which the artiole is received, a pair of oppositely disposed, oscillatory fiap folding fingers movable with said platform, a pair of supporting members for said platform, parallel movement finger actuating members, one pair for each finger, pivotally connected to said platform supporting member, and means for guiding said fingers to move in their own planes across the ends of said article, one finger and its finger actuating member being adjustable toward and away from the other finger amd its actuating member. y

18. In a device for wrapping articles, a depressible platform upon which the article is received, a pair of oppositely dis-- posed, oscillatory fiap folding fingers moveable with said platform, a pair of supporting members for said platform. parallel movement finger actuating members, one pair for each finger, pivotally connected to said platform supporting member, and means, including a stationary pin, and a slot in the finger, one edge of which rides on the pin, for guiding said fingers to move in their own plane's across the ends of said article, one finger and its finger actuating members being adjustable toward and away from the other finger and its actuating members.

FRANK 

